1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display panel having a new structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plasma display panels are flat panel displays displaying an image via gas discharge. Plasma display panels are considered to be the next generation of flat panel displays due to superior display properties such as display capacity, brightness, contrast, residual image, and wide viewing angle. The plasma display panel includes a rear substrate and a front substrate facing each other, spaced apart from each other and coupled to each other. A plurality of address electrodes are arranged on a front surface of the rear substrate, and the address electrodes are covered by a first dielectric layer. Sustain electrode pairs crossing the address electrodes are formed on a rear surface of the front substrate. In each sustain electrode pair is an X electrode and a Y electrode. The sustain electrode pairs are covered by a second dielectric layer, and a protective layer is formed on a rear surface of the second dielectric layer. In addition, barrier ribs define discharge cells on a front surface of the first dielectric layer. Phosphor layers are applied to predetermined thicknesses in the discharge cells defined by the barrier ribs.
In the plasma display panel having the above structure, a discharge cell is selected by an address discharge between the address electrode and the Y electrode, and then the discharge cell emits visible light by a sustain discharge occurring between the X electrode and the Y electrode. In more detail, a discharge gas filled within the discharge cell emits ultraviolet rays during the sustain discharge, and the ultraviolet rays excite the phosphor layers to emit visible light. The visible light emitted from the phosphor layers produces an image on the plasma display panel.
However, in the plasma display panel having the above structure, the sustain discharge occurs only in the space between the X electrode and the Y electrode adjacent to the protective layer. Thus the volume of the space where the sustain discharge occurs is small. In addition, some of the visible light emitted from the phosphor layers is absorbed and/or reflected by the protective layer, the second dielectric layer, and the sustain electrodes and. Thus, only 60% of the visible light emitted from the phosphor layers can pass through the front substrate. Therefore, luminous efficiency and brightness of the panel are reduced. Therefore, what is needed is an improved design for a plasma display panel that overcomes these problems.